Aircraft

A US aircraft spares specialist is to undertake the first scrapping of a Boeing 777 - just 11 years after the twinjet first entered service.

Memphis-based Universal Asset Management has acquired a General Electric GE90-powered 777-200 (MSN 27109) for disassembly. According to Flight's Acas database, the aircraft (line number 19) was originally delivered to British Airways in January 1996 as G-ZZZE, being one of five non-Extended Range variants that the airline operated.

The 777, originally equipped with GE90-76B engines, but subsequently fitted with more powerful GE90-90Bs, says Universal, was traded by BA to Boeing in 2002. After initially being placed with the now-defunct Algerian carrier Khalifa Airways in 2003, it entered service with Varig as PP-VRD in 2004. The aircraft was returned to Boeing in August and is now registered N703BA.

Universal, which has disassembled more than 160 airliners in the past 10 years, says this is the first disassembly of a 777 and component parts will be available for sale in the near future.